For the first time, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences released a top-10 list of nominees in advance of the July 17 crack-‘o-dawn announcement of the actual nominees. The idea is to get the list out before it’s leaked, per tradition.

The headline out of the top-10 list is the inclusion of two basic cable series, AMC’s “Mad Men” and FX’s “Damages.” While premium cable has had many entries on the list, this is a first for the basic channels.

Top 10 Comedy Series Finalists:
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Entourage
Family Guy
Flight of the Conchords
The Office
Pushing Daisies
30 Rock
Two and a Half Men
Ugly Betty
WeedsTop 10 Drama Series Finalists:
Boston Legal
Damages
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Grey’s Anatomy
House
Lost
Mad Men
The Tudors
The Wire

HBO today renewed “In Treatment” for a second season. The engrossing drama, adapted from an Israeli original, follows a therapist, his own troubled marriage, and his patients’ appointments–one therapy session per episode with each character returning on his or her designated day of the week.

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Production starts in New York this fall. Gabriel Byrne as Paul Weston, the drama’s central shrink, and Dianne Wiest, as his therapist Gina Toll, are among the returning cast members.

The breakdown of Nielsen’s May sweeps ratings by age group reveals the real scoop on the lucrative late newscasts. While in overall numbers Channel 9 was the only station to show gains at 10 p.m. compared to a year ago, in the demographics (which determine ad rates) Channel 4 is up compared to last year.

Compared to May ’07, KMGH-Channel 7 dropped 21 percent in the Adult 18-54 demographic, the prime target for advertisers, to a 3.1 rating. It’s in fourth place.
KCNC-Channel 4 climbed 13 percent in the same demo, to a 3.5 rating. That’s third place.

KDVR-Channel 31 is in second place with a 3.9 rating for its late (9 p.m.) news, a decline of 15 percent from last May.
KUSA-Channel 9, still the frontrunner, gained 2 percent in the demo year to year, to post a 6.7 rating.

Channel 7 News Director Byron Grandy noted his station had “no ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and no ‘Lost’ finale inside the book. The race is still competitive.”

Tim Russert’s moderator chair was respectfully left empty on this morning’s “Meet the Press.” Instead of assembling around the table for the usual Sunday morning dissection of issues, a group of Russert’s friends and colleagues led by Tom Brokaw sat in front of the set, memorializing the man who took pride in the program and joy in politics.

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Extended viewing of MSNBC over the weekend might have led some critics to conclude the attention to the death of a newsman was self-indulgent and over done.

Russert was special, but did his death deserve the kind of coverage not seen since JFK’s assassination?

Fact is, NBC has the luxury of a sister network. And the cable news channel operates on the premise that viewers come and go, few watch for hours at a time.

Can you imagine any other network name warranting this kind of acclaim and admiration? A primetime hour Friday, a special “Today” edition Saturday, hours on MSNBC and “Meet the Press” Sunday. Peter Jennings got a primetime hour but, because ABC has no cable channel, his passing didn’t get the all-weekend treatment.

Was it too much? Just right? Simply a matter of timing–death on a Friday afternoon of a slow news weekend–or a reminder of NBC News’ strength as a brand? Frankly, I ate it up, but I’m not sure others will feel that way. Comments?

A provocative front-page story in today’s New York Times is a talker in media circles. Was the media sexist in its treatment of Hillary Clinton during the campaign and did sexism affect the outcome of the primaries?

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I’m with Candy Crowley of CNN who says there was not sexism in the reporting, but plenty in the commentary. The trouble is the idea of a monolithic entity called “The Media” is too vague; you can’t paint scrupulous reporters and showbiz yakkers with the same brush.

Commentators Chris Matthews, shrill-voiced Pat Buchanan and Tucker Carlson were among the worst offenders, as seen in this video making the internet rounds…

Yet a sharp attack from an unusual quarter gave pause this week when Katie Couric used her anchor post to scold the media for its biased treatment of Clinton. Clearly, this is a woman who’s been on the receiving end of sexist insults and knows whereof she speaks.

Now the narrative moves from charges of sexism to charges of racism as the campaign of Barack Obama progresses. What’s been said about his wife is shameful, but again, it’s only a corner of the cable news world that’s listening.

It’s important that the country is having these conversations. Just be careful to specify which part of the all-encompassing “media” you blame.

MSNBC confirmed today it will be on the air from Denver from “6 a.m. to 2 a.m. ET” during the convention. That’s 4 a.m. to midnight here. At 4 a.m., you can bet Olbermann and Matthews will be tap dancing for all they’re worth as the sun rises over the empty convention hall. Clearly, those spectacular views the NBC team has been scouting are going to be useful as delegates sleep and MSNBC vamps to fill time.

Credit PBS, meanwhile, with being the only broadcast network again committed to full, gavel to gavel live, primetime coverage. And this time it will be in high-def.

CNN and Fox News tonight report Hillary Clinton will end her run on Saturday, MSNBC reports she’ll end her run on Friday. In fact, it’s Friday at her home, Saturday for a big bash in D.C. The Clinton campaign put out a statement earlier today with “note day change” in the subject line:

Subject: STATEMENT FROM THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN – NOTE DAY CHANGE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2008
Statement from the Clinton Campaign
Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington, DC to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity. This event will be held on Saturday to accommodate more of Senator Clinton’s supporters who want to attend.

First, let’s break down the triptych. Three politicians, three tableaux.

John McCain, pictured in front of green banners (subliminally the eco-“green” candidate or the youuthful “green” candidate?), gave an edgy if low-energy speech knocking Obama. Hillary Clinton, displayed in front of ardent red and blue poster-waving fans, gave an electrifying non-concession speech (Slate had the best headline: “Dead Woman Talking”). Barack Obama, in a gigantic hall filled with some 20,000 supporters waving pastel handmade signs and letters spelling “c-h-a-n-g-e,” warmed to a patriotic crescendo. Then he was pictured in warm closeups, handshaking through a stunning crush of fans (the “tactile politician,” in NBC’s Brian Williams’ words. The rock star candidate?)

They telegraphed obvious messages: McCain is ready to fight; Clinton is not ready to quit; Obama is ready to unite, already acting presidential.

The media, meanwhile, are obsessed with the vice presidential spot on the ticket. Not so fast, Clinton suggested. The news cycle may whirl at lightning speed now, but she is claiming a day to enjoy a near-victory, work through back channels and decide what’s next. Howard Fineman of Newsweek was first to tell MSNBC viewers the scoop: Obama will offer the No. 2 spot to Clinton only if he has the guarantee that she’ll refuse. “Kabuki theater,” Keith Olbermann calls it.

On CNN, David Gergen was most profound in crediting Obama with “changing the course of American history, Jeff Toobin noted Obama represents a major post-boomer generational shift, Jamal Simmons pushed past the “first black nominee” designation to observe Obama’s melting-pot past is “a uniquely American story.”

Over on Fox News, the name Jeremiah Wright and the term “radical connections” kept cropping up. For his part, Sean Hannity wants the GOP to step up the attacks on Obama. Later, McCain chatted with Chris Wallace, dissing Obama’s record.

In the flood of commentary, the idea that this was an historic night in American political history, got short shrift. In media terms, McCain’s appearance scored a victory by blunting that discussion.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.